Outside-In Loft

By combining two 1,100 square foot loft spaces on the top floor of a Chinatown building, we were able to create a unique living space in downtown Boston. The existing apartments were mirror images of each other, organized around a central core and partition wall. By making surgical openings in the partition wall and redistributing the bathroom spaces, we were able to unify the two into a single loft apartment. An 8' X 8' courtyard was introduced in the place of the former bathroom. By giving up a piece of the apartment to the exterior, the courtyard invites the outside in, introducing natural light into the center of the apartment, but also rain, snow, and a small garden. Skylights over the bathtub and showers also bring in natural light, while acid etched glass enclosures make those elements into luminous light sources in the bedroom and study. The choice of materials also links the inside to the outside. Wood slats made of reused Tauari, a red South American Mahogany, line the kitchen and the courtyard, slipping from inside to outside and up onto the roof to form the deck.

Credits

Design Team

Carl Solander

TypeInterior Design

Year2007

LocationBoston MAUnited States

Published inThe New York TimesResidential ArchitectAreaResidential Architect